Boolvo Souvlaki- Greek Grilled Beef

                  Boolvo Souvlaki,  Kolokithokeftedes and Loukoumathes


In Greece, pork is traditionally used for Soulvaki.
There are specific marinades that the Greek use, for each type of meat.
I'll be posting the pork version soon. This is not one of my favorite marinades, I'm not a big fan of rosemary, or using white wine in cooking. (red is great)
But everyone else seemed to love it.
My 3 year old grandson Zach, was very curious about what I was doing with the "pokeys" (skewers) as I was threading the beef. I explained I was going to cook steak on the grill. He ran to the other kids yelling, "Grama's makin' pokey steak!"

Ingredients:
2lbs. beef cut into large cubes
1 gallon storage bag
skewers

For the marinade:
1/4cup oil
1cup white wine
1tsp. minced garlic
1/8tsp. black pepper
1tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1/2tsp. oregano
1/4tsp. rosemary
juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:
Whisk the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup for basting.
Add the beef and the remaining  marinade to the bag. remove the air, seal and refrigerate overnight.
If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for a few hours before grilling, to keep them from burning.Grill according to taste.

Great way to use Your Zucchini Bumpercrop- 2 Marinated grilled vegetable recipes

Here come the zucchini, one plant is more than enough to feed the entire neighborhood.
So Paul planted three...
I'll be posting other recipes for them in the coming weeks. Three plants worth!
Zucchini has the ability to really absorb the flavors in marinades and sauces. Prefect for grilling.
It's also great in Garden style spaghetti and Ratatouille.
We also like to marinate them in Italian dressing ,then grill.

Asian Marinade
1/4 cup Chicken broth
2Tbl. sugar
1Tbl. Kikkoman soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil.
Preparation:
Whisk together marinade ingredients in a large bowl..
Slice -or- (cube if you are using a grilling basket) any vegetables.
Add the vegetables to the marinade . Toss to coat.
Let stand at least 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Grill to taste.



Garlic Butter Marinade:
1/4 cup melted real butter.
2tsp. garlic powder
1tsp. salt
Preparation:
Whisk together marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
Slice -or- (cube if you are using a grilling basket) any vegetables.
Add the vegetables to the marinade . Toss to coat.
Let stand at least 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Grill to taste.

Mojo Grilled Pork Chops

 Mojo Grilled Pork Chops with Black beans and rice and an icy cold Mojito
Possibly the best Cuban dish ever. Definitely my favorite way to cook pork.

Ingredients:
1 boneless porkloin or loin roast - sliced into chops

For the marinade:
juice from 1 orange
juice from 1 lime
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or 1 ripe hot pepper chopped
1Tbl. minced garlic
1Tbl. honey
1Tbl. oil
1Tbl. minced onion
1/2tsp. salt
1/2tsp. oregano
a pinch of ground cumin
a gallon storage bag

Preparation:
Place the marinade ingredients in a blender and process about 1 minute.
Add the chops and marinade to the storage bag, remove the air and refrigerate overnight.
Grill until cooked through.

You can find chipotles in adobo sauce in the Mexican section of your grocer.

Blend Marinade ingredients for about 1 minute. This can also be heated and thickened with cornstarch to use as a serving sauce for other dishes. Marinate overnight.

                                          Grill until cooked through.

Homemade Raspberry Vinegar and Vinaigrette

                              Homemade Raspberry Vinegar and Vinaigrette

The first time I had raspberry vinaigrette, was nearly 20 years ago, while working for a caterer.
It instantly became one of my favorites. The Chef wouldn't part with his recipe no matter how much I begged.
After trying numerous store bought bottled versions that tasted like imitation raspberries, I decided to try to make my own.
It didn't take much experimenting to come up with a this fresh tasting duplicate, that I have used for many years.
Both the vinegar and vinaigrette are very simple, although you may prefer to add more oil, I like to keep this as light as possible.


Raspberry vinegar:

Ingredients:
1small bag of frozen raspberries or 2 cups fresh -very ripe
3 cups white vinegar
a large jar with a lid-I use a gallon pickle jar
A wine bottle to store the finished vinegar

Preparation:
This makes enough to fill a wine bottle.
Add the berries and vinegar to the jar. Place the lid and put it in a dark cool place.
Allow to rest several days- up to 2 weeks.
The vinegar will mellow a bit as it steeps, but you can use a milder vinegar such as rice or white wine vinegar. both are considerably more expensive.
 No need to shake or stir.
Strain and discard the berries. If you press the berries, your vinegar will become cloudy. You will still have a bit of sediment floating in the vinegar, which can be removed by pouring it through a cheesecloth a few times. (I just leave it in) Store it in a cool place. I'm not sure exactly how long a shelf life this has, but I will use a bottle this size in nearly a year.

                            Allow to steep up to 2 weeks. Strain and bottle.


Raspberry Vinaigrette:
This makes enough for 4 servings of salad.
Ingredients:
4Tbl. raspberry vinegar
3Tbl.sugar
2Tbl. water
2Tbl. salad oil

Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a blender. Mix on high speed for 5 minutes to allow the oil to blend.Serve.
This goes really well with a salad that has fresh tarragon leaves added to it.

Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast

                                       Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast


Ingredients:
1 package frozen chicken breast -thawed
1cup Italian dressing
1/2tsp. adobo sauce
1tbl. minced garlic
Preparation:
Place chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with a mallet.
Whisk the Italian dressing and adobo sauce. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
Refrigerate overnight. Grill out of doors or in a skillet.
If grilling in a skillet: Heat 1tbl. oil. Add garlic and stir-fry a few seconds. Add chicken.
Grill until all pan juices have evaporated. Grill chicken a bit longer, until lightly browned on both sides.

                                              Marinate overnight

                                   Grill until lightly browned on both sides.

Spicy Honey Caribbean Salmon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buxtFzb0QeA
Spicy Honey Sauce
1 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons Pineapple Juice
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Distilled Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
mix all ingredients in a Bowl, whisk.

Oil Salmon
Season w/Salt & Pepper
Then Cover w/Spicy Honey Sauce

Put in Over 400 Degrees for 12-14 minutes

Then Turn Salmon & Broil For 1-2 minutes

Grilled Butterfly Pork Chop Sandwich

Grilled Pork Chop Sandwich and a side salad with Homemade honey-mustard salad dressing
This is best if you marinate the chops overnight before grilling, It really tenderizer them. I prefer to grill these in a skillet. Make butterfly chops yourself-video follows

Marinade:
In a bowl mix:
1cup Italian salad dressing
1/4cup Dijon mustard
1/2tsp. adobo sauce
a storage bag

Preparation:
Whisk together the marinade ingredients
Add the marinade and chops to the bag, remove the air and refrigerate overnight.
Grill according to taste. serve on a bun with tomato, lettuce, and mayo.


Here are a couple of videos. First, how to make a pork loin into chops and second how to butterfly your chops.You don't need a whole loin LOL just a pork loin roast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwsbd9WPtv4&feature=related

LOL men get all excited about grilling "Fire Good"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR2sEcBICFI

Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Wow I love this one on grilled beef
1 small bottle of mild BBQ sauce
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 or 2 chipotles in adobo sauce (found in the Mexican section of your grocer)

Put all in a blender until smooth. baste onto grilled meat at the end of cooking.

Chili Garlic Sauce

                      Chili Garlic Sauce- One of my favorite condiments.

Chili Garlic Sauce
I found this over at Viet World Kitchen-Blog
This is a staple in my kitchen. And this recipe is perfect. I have always used prepared sauce, in many of my favorite recipes. It's great to finally find, a really good recipe, for homemade. I also add a little water and use it as a dipping sauce for Naan bread. I'll post a photo when the chilies ripen in the garden.


Lili’s Cooked Chili Garlic Sauce

12 red, ripe jalapenos-diced
3Tbl. minced garlic
1-½ tsp. salt
4- 1/2 Tbl. sugar
4- 1/2 Tbl. white vinegar

Add all ingredients to a blender.
Pulse several times to chop, but not puree.
Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the moisture has evaporated, and you have a thick sauce.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator. Makes 1/2 cup.

Simmer on the lowest heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens

Sweet Chili Sauce

                   Sweet Chili Sauce. This tastes close to Maggi brand.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2tsp. pureed ginger
1Tbl. minced garlic
3ripe red jalapenos-minced
4Tbl. ketchup
2tsp. cornstarch
Directions:
Pour water and vinegar into a saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in sugar, ginger, garlic, chile pepper, and ketchup; simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cornstarch. Remove saucepan from stove to cool. Then transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Sweet and Sour Celery Seed Salad Dressing Recipe

Sweet and Sour Celery Seed Salad Dressing Recipe
 also called Colonial Dressing
2 recipes...
#1
1 small sweet or white onion
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 cup grapeseed oil or other mild oil
Grate 1 small sweet or white onion. Whisk in a small bowl with 1/4 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons celery seeds, and 2 teaspoons dry mustard.
Beat in 1 cup mild oil, such as grapeseed oil, and salt and black pepper to taste.


recipe#2

1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon grated onion
2 to 3 teaspoons celery seed
Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add honey and blend well. Add oil and vinegar a little at a time, alternating, beating or briskly whisking between each addition. Add grated onion and celery seed. Makes about 1 2/3 cups of honey celery seed dressing.